Refrigerators are electric appliances for storing foods for a long time at a low temperature.
In recent years, a refrigerator in which an ice making device is mounted on a door so as to increase storage capacity of the refrigerator, and a dual door structure for minimizing a loss of cool air when the door is opened is applied is being released.
Referring to a refrigerator disclosed in Prior Art 1, a refrigerating compartment door that opens and closes a refrigerating compartment is provided as a pair of rotation-type doors, and one of the pair of rotation-type doors includes first and second doors, which are opened by rotating in the same direction. Also, the first door selectively opens a front opening of the refrigerating compartment, and the second door is rotatably connected to a front surface of the first door to selectively open and close a storage space or opening defined in the first door.
An accommodation member such as door basket may be provided in the first door, the front surface of the first door may be opened, and the second door may open and close the opened front surface of the first door. According to the above-described structure, foods or beverage containers, which are frequently taken out for use may be accommodated in the first door. Thus, since only the second door is opened to bring out the foods and containers, which are frequently taken out, there is an advantage in minimizing leakage of cool air within the refrigerating compartment.
Also, a dispenser that is capable of dispensing ice or water may be provided in the other one of the pair of rotation-type doors.
According to Prior Art 2, a refrigerator in which an ice making device is provided in a back surface of one of a pair of rotation-type doors, and a dispenser through which water or ice made in the ice making device is dispensed is provided in a front surface thereof is disclosed.
According to the proposed Prior Arts, in the pair of door structures that are respectively rotatably connected to left and right edges of a refrigerator body, the ice making device and the dispenser are provided in one rotation-type door, and the other rotation-type door has a door-in-door structure in which two doors that rotate for opening in the same direction are disposed to overlap each other in a front/rear direction.
However, in case of the door-in-door structure in which the two doors overlap each other in the front/rear direction, a storage compartment defined in the rear door is maintained at the same temperature as a storage compartment that is opened and closed by the rear door, i.e., the refrigerating compartment.
Thus, there is a need of a storage compartment, which is maintained at a temperature that is less than that of the refrigerating compartment and greater than that of a freezer compartment and capable of storing a food container having high frequency of use.
Prior Art 1: Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2014-0103500 (Aug. 27, 2014)
Prior Art 2: Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2005-0094673 (Sep. 28, 2005)